Confessions
by NoteBookAddict
Summary: Each chapter tells a different story with a different couple. SakuNaru, YahiKona, ShikaTema, others undecided. Suitable for teenagers. Warning, some chapters might get sappy.
1. NaruSaku

"Watch your step." said Naruto as he and Sakura climbed the stone steps of the cliff. The night was dark so the stair case was lit only by the blanket of stars above and the dim glow of Konohagakure below. It was enough light to see shapes but it was always best to be careful.

"Right." replied Sakura. She was still tired from their last mission but it was such a beautiful night that she couldn't say no when Naruto had asked if she wanted to go out. Looking at Naruto, Sakura made a mental note of how far he had come; the loud-mouthed boy she had met at the academy was long gone and in his place stood a Shinobi worthy of becoming Hokage.

After a few moments of silence, the Pinkette finally spoke again. "Naruto," she said "I think you're brilliant."

Silence fell again as Sakura praised the night for hiding her now tomato colours cheeks. "I mean, I think it's brilliant that you never give up and always stay true to yourself." She glanced at Naruto. When her eyes were greeted with the classic white tooth grin, Sakura knew she was safe. Naruto's way of being slow to pick up on thinks had always been annoying but today, Sakura was grateful of it.

"Yeah, well that's just my ninja way!" cheered Naruto with his hands clasped together on the back of his head.

Sakura blushed again. She loved it when Naruto said that, he was just so enthusiastic about life. As they continued walking, the pair reached an out-shoot from the path. It was a small alcove hanging over their home town, covered in ivy. The vines had wrapped themselves around the twisting stone banister that prevented anyone from falling over the edge, making it seem mystical and romantic. Sakura thought of an old story her mother had read to her once about two star-crossed lovers; this place reminded her of the balcony that the girl had looked over as her lover called to her from below. There were two small candles rustic on the edge, giving Sakura and Naruto enough light to see each other clearly.

Before Sakura could fully turn to face Naruto, he casually asked why she was blushing. Horror ran through the girl faster than a shock of lightning. The dark night that had previously concealed her feelings had been whipped away by the alcove's candle light. Why were there even lit candles half way up a mountain anyway?

"Uh… um…" she managed to stutter before draping her arms over the ledge and looking away.

A warm hand griped her shoulder "Sakura-chan are you alright?" asked the surprisingly soft voice of her friend.

The Pinkette sighed, now was as good a time as any to do this. "Naruto-kun, I…" murmured Sakura. Taking in a long breath of air, Sakura turned to Naruto. His bright blue eyes met her's with concern. "Naruto, you've changed. I've changed. We've both changed…" she started before being met with a burst of laughter from the blonde.

"Sakura" he managed to say in-between gasps for air. "Of course we've changed, that's what people do when they grow up!" He was now holding his stomach as he bent over, trying to contain himself. "And here I thought there was something serious on your mind!"

Slowly, Sakura could feel anger boiling up inside her but it was pushed down by an overwhelming wave of embarrassment. She had tried to tell Naruto her true feelings but it had come out wrong.

As she looked down, Naruto's laughter faded away. Sakura could feel his gaze burning into her but she refused to meet it this time. "I like you." She whispered.

—-

"I like you." Sakura whispered.

Naruto stared at her, not believing that the girl in front of him could have possibly said that. He had watched Sakura for years, always admiring her, always wanting to be closer to her. But he had never felt anything from her in return.

Time seemed to slow down. Could this really be happening? The soft glow from the candles lit up the pink haired girl's face, making it seem to glow against the dark backdrop of the mountain. She looked just like an angel. No, she looked more beautiful than an angel. Naruto had always wished to be loved by the magnificent girl but he had slowly given up hope. Like anyone would expect, Sakura received daily confessions from various men, some who had just met her, others who had known her for years. Why would someone so desirable ever choose him?

As Naruto watched her, he noticed a lonely tear fall down her cheek. "I like you." She repeated quietly. "I like you, I like you, I like you." Sakura said, each time getting stronger and more demanding, as if Naruto was not the only one she needed to confirm this to.

The blonde couldn't believe his ears. This soft melody rang throughout his brain like a never-ending tune. He opened his mouth automatically, not sure what sound would come out.

"I like you too."

—-

The words reached Sakura instantly. She spun toward Naruto, sending tears flying off her face.

"I've always liked you, Sakura. From the moment I met you."

Sakura stared speechlessly at Naruto. "You're always so nice, Naruto. You help everyone else before yourself and you never cease to amaze me." The confession spilled out of her mouth. Afraid of letting the blonde leave without knowing how she truly felt, she let it flow. "You've grown up so much and I can't help but fall for you."

Before she could say another word, Sakura found herself swept up in Naruto's strong arms. She wrapped hers around his body, holding him tightly, not wanting to ever let go. Warmth filled her body. She moaned in protest as she felt Naruto pull back but he defied her. Emerald green eyes met sky blue ones. The blonde placed both his hands on either side of Sakura's face and smiled down at her. Eagerly, the pinkette's heart pounded against her chest as Naruto leaned closer to her. His lips brushed against hers before coming in stronger. Butterflies filled Sakura's stomach as Naruto's lips continued to massage hers.

Far too soon, the couple broke apart. "Sakura" the blonde whispered, giving his signature cocky grin, "don't ever do that with anyone else."

**A/N: I'm not very good at writing dialog so I hope this was okay. Also, if you are a fan of a particular Naruto couple, suggest them to me and they might appear in a future chapter...**


	2. YahiKona

Yahiko had made a mistake. It wasn't major but it had cost him the full function of both his arms, at least for the next few days. Wiggling his fingers, he reminded himself that he could still use them for most things, that is, if the headache did't slow him down. Konan moved her delicate hands over Yahiko's arm, tying the bandage tight.

"Next arm." she said coldly. The worst part about the ginger's mistake was that Konan was now angry at him. He couldn't stand that, Konan was always smiling but today there was nothing. Not even the ghost of a smile.

Closing his eyes, Yahiko thought back to that morning. It had all started when Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato turned over their frog cards and left the shed. War was raging in the ninja world and the trio's small homeland was always in threat. Being a small country in the middle of the Land of Wind, Land of Earth, and the Land of Fire, the Rain was constantly being used as a battlefield for their disputes. The Second Great Ninja War had changed nothing, it only made terror grip it's claws further into the damp earth. Someone needed to stop the terror. Yahiko had decided to do it. He was going to save the people.

The trio had been walking for over an hour, searching for anyone in need, when it happened. He'd heard a faint whistling first, it hadn't seemed too dangerous, but before he could even host the idea of immediate danger, the path in front blew up in a ball of fire. Paper bombs.

"Get down!" Yahiko shouted, throwing himself over Konan. She tried to persuade them to turn back. At such a young age, the teenagers had never fought in a real battle and by the sounds of the continuous explosions, this was a _real_ battle. However, Yahiko refused. There was a village here and the people needed to be defended.

Rushing forward, the fired-up ginger had jumped into battle. Konan and Nagato followed. Yahiko dodged kunai knives flying at him but never let Konan get too far away from him. It wasn't that she needed any more protection than Nagato but Yahiko had always felt a strange urge to look after her more than anyone else. He had always just accepted this.

—-

"Clear!" shouted Konan. They had almost finished getting the villagers away from the dangerous streets. She thought it was the Leaf and Earth fighting but couldn't be too sure, the ninja moved incredibly fast.

Rounding on the next corner, Konan ran into Nagato. "Where's Yahiko?" she had asked. The three friends were supposed to meet once the town had been cleared but it was taking far too long. With the war still raging on around them, it was vital that they get out as soon as possible. When Konan received a worried look from the red head, she bolted to the next street, fear taking over her heart.

Thankfully, Yahiko was only ten metres down this one. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Konan started towards him. That was when she noticed the villager that the ginger had been leaning over. However, there was something wrong with the scene. Something about the injured villager just wasn't quite right.

"Yahiko!" she shouted, worry creeping into her voice "Don't move!". The boy looked at her with concern but continued moving his hand towards the villager. Konan stretched out her senses to the pair and detected something familiar. Paper. The villager was covered in hidden paper. But not just any paper, they were paper bombs, most likely rigged to blow up at the slightest touch.

"Yahiko!" Konan almost screamed as she ran towards her friend. At this moment only one thing entered her mind, she had to protect Yahiko. If anything were to happen to him, she would never forgive herself. "Get away!" she screamed, panic pouring into her voice.

The street flashed bright orange and a force hit Konan so hard that she had been nocked off her feet.

—-

"I'm sorry Konan, I know I should have listened to you." Yahiko pleaded. The girl was now halfway down bandaging his left arm. If it hadn't been for his fast reflexes, Yahiko would have died in the bomb. As it was, he had gotten away with burns over both his arms and chest, and a cut on his head from when it had hit the ground.

After a moment of silence, Konan finally replied. "Yes, you should have. If you'd been more seriously hurt or even…" she trailed off. Yahiko could see the pain that she tried so hard to hide and hated himself for causing it. He cared more about Konan than himself, he always had.

As she reached his wrist, Yahiko winced in pain, closing his eyes to hold back the tears. "Ah that hurt! Don't be so rough!".

"I'm sorry!" Konan exclaimed. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

When Yahiko realised Konan was no longer bandaging him, he opened his eyes. The girl's face was now closer to his and Yahiko found himself gazing into her fiery eyes. It occurred to him that Konan really was the most beautiful girl he'd ever met. For the second time in the day, a strong force hit the ginger square in his chest. However, this was not a physical force. Yahiko felt a rush of emotions enter his heart. He wanted to protect Konan, yes, he always had. But now he wanted more. He wanted to be the only person to be near Konan, he wanted to be the only person to meet her amber eyes, he wanted to be the only person to get close enough to feel her breath on his skin.

Without hesitating, Yahiko closed his eyes and let his lips meet hers. The kiss was short but it was warm and sweet. Fireworks went off in Yahiko's stomach as he eventually pulled away from Konan. Shock was written all over her face but there was something else, something Yahiko could only describe as joy. He felt it too. Pulling Konan close to him, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Nothing more was said, but the two teenagers knew that they would always be special to each other.

**A/N: I wrote this from the flash back episode in Shippuden that showed Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan's story. In one scene, Konan is bandaging Yahiko up (Nagato is outside the shed) and the two lean close to each other. The do not kiss but it looks as if they will and it inspired this story. I hope you liked it!**


	3. ShikaTema

Shikamaru sat in a quiet corner of the Konohagakure village library. Not a single word left his lips for over an hour as he skimmed the pages of 'The tales of a ninga'. He knew this peace would not last long, after all, _she _would surely find him soon, but he had expected it to last a little longer.

"There you are." said the blonde girl towering over Shika's calm bubble that had sadly just popped. "I've been looking all over for you."

The dark-haired man sighed. Ever since he had been made a Chunin, Shikamaru had been tasked with the job of guarding Temari in her many visits. Now he was a Jonin, capable of leading teams and armies but was too scared to refuse the blonde's requests. However, that was something he would never let her find out. As far as she knew, Shika saw this as a worthy duty to his allies of the sand. What a drag.

"Just getting in some morning research." he replied. The single raised blonde eyebrow told him that his poor excuse was not believable in the slightest, but Temari didn't bother to argue with it.

Shika watched as the blonde turned away, displaying her large fan strapped to her back. She began to walk towards the exit, swaying her hips in a melodical pattern, before turning her head back to him.

"Well," she flirted, "Are you coming or not?"

A side smile spread across his face. This job, however big of a pain it was, certainly had its perks.

—-

Tamari stepped out of Konahagakur's village library and into the cool autumn breeze.

"You know," said a voice from behind, "it would be nice if we did something different for a change."

The blonde smirked. It was true that Temari had chosen their activities for the past week and that they had mostly consisted of practicing her advanced wind style juitsu. Still, the next comment from her partner made her laugh.

"I never knew a girl could be so focussed on work." Shikamaru almost whined.

"Well if you don't like my activities why don't you decide what to do today?"

She wasn't being completely serious but Temari never turned down an opportunity to flirt with the younger boy, so she made sure that her suggestion of giving over power was accompanied by her signature wink.

Shika's side smile grew wider and for a moment, just a moment, Temari thought she saw a hint of a scheme from in his eyes.

"Maybe I will."

They walked on in silence. Although Shikamaru was two years younger than Temari, he towered over her as a fully grown male. This always made the blond try harder than usual to be the alpha ninja around him.

"Ok." he finally said. "I'll make you an offer. I'll decide today's activities and make sure you have a good time."

This didn't sound too bad. Temari opened her mouth to answer but was stopped by Shikamaru's upraised hand.

"But" he continued "You have to do everything, no backing down, and you can't ask what we're going to do."

Temari smirked. This sounded like an excuse for not having any idea of a fun thing to do.

"Fine. But no board games."

—-

The orange glow of the setting sun told Shikamaru that it was almost time to play his final card. That day, he had taken his companion to try new food, to explore inside the mountain, to see an undiscovered forest lake (undiscovered to everyone except Shika and the few people he decided to share it with), and even ice skating. All of these activities were, of course, engineered to keep surprising Temari, but mostly to maintain control of the situation.

This was necessary for the last move.

"We're almost there. Just a little longer."

—-

Almost there? They'd been walking for over half an hour but still remained inside the village. Who knew the leaf was so big?

Temari scowled at Shikamaru as the walked. He'd done a much better job at providing entertainment for the day than she'd ever thought possible and she didn't like being wrong.

The path they were following took them through a metal gate and up several steps to the roof of one of the taller buildings in Konohagakur. The flat roof was almost bare. For a moment, Temari stood still, staring in confusion.

Suddenly, she noticed a wooden bench with no back sitting under a small gazebo. It didn't look too exciting but instantly filled Temari with a feeling of peace and comfort.

"We're here." Said her friend, gesturing to the bench.

Temari sat sown on its smooth surface.

"Not there, that's my special reserved seat."

Scowling once more, Temari moved to the left side of the bench and let Shika take the now unoccupied right. She didn't understand what was so special about that side, it was still just a bench.

"So," she started, "what is this?"

"Lie back."

This was hardly a good answer but after watching Shika lie with his back on the bench and is arms rested behind his head, she decided to do the same.

Spreading her fingers on the wood next to her hips, she looked upwards at the slow clouds. It was truly magical. The soft shapes, stained with the warm colours from the sun, drifted across the sky. They looked so peaceful. As she exhaled, Temari began to wish that she could be a cloud. Just for a day. To feel the wight of defending a country lifted from her shoulders, she thought, would probably make her so light that she could just float on upwards. She began to long to float along with the clouds, but maybe not alone. Maybe with someone else there, holding her hand.

As if her mind had been read, Temari felt the warm touch of fingers on her right hand. It only lasted a moment but it sent a wave of electricity up her arm.

"I used to come here all the time as a child. I'd lie down and watch the clouds drift by, wishing I could be like them."

Temari moved her head to look at Shika. To her supprise, he was watching back, gazing deeply into her green eyes.

Shikamaru lowered his head, letting his lips brush hers. A soft moan escaped her lips. She felt Shika's strong hand grasp her upper arm, dangerously close to her breast, before he moved closer to her once again. This time, his lips pressed harder against her own and moved with passion.

—-

Shika's plan was working perfectly. If only it hadn't taken the whole day to lead here, he could have made Temari his in the morning and skipped the other stuff. It was true that she could drive him insane but she was also the only girl he'd ever met that could occupy his mind all day and challenge him in the way that sparked a new excitement.

Leaning his leg over the blonde's long ones, Shikamaru was now practically on top of her. He kissed her harder, letting his hands trail over her body. Being this close to Temari, he decided, was anything but a drag.

—-

All too soon, Temari felt Shika's body rise from hers as their lips parted. She breathed heavily, her body still tingling from his touch. Could this be real? She'd always harboured a soft spot for the dark-brunette, after all, his personality complemented her's better than anyone else's, but she's never thought he might feel the same.

"I… um…" She stuttered.

The cocky side grin re-appeared on Shika's face.

Temari replied by automatically giving him a devious flirtatious look.

Before she had time to fully process what was happening, Shika let out a laugh and pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms around hers.

"From now on, this is our special reserved seat."

It was a simple sentence but Temari knew better. This was Shika's way of saying that they should be an item.

Letting out a laugh of happiness, Temari wrapped her arms around Shika's body in agreement.

**A/N: This is probably one of by favourite Naruto couples and I will absolutely cry if they don't get together in the anime. Hope you liked it!**


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